Place, space, pace

Ramblings & reflections

Place

One evening last week, we walked our dog-friend Pete through the local park. On the way home, we saw a deer calmly reposed in the front yard of a sweet little orange-brick cape cod. This is a city street, although tucked away between a river and the main thoroughfare. When I caught a quick sideways glance, my mind at first registered a very large lawn ornament that didn’t quite fit into the vibe of our neighborhood. But, no, this sweet urban deer exactly fit the vibe of our neighborhood. Pete immediately started barking at the doe, whether by way of a challenge or an invitation, I don’t know. The doe looked on placidly and blinked slowly. We coaxed Pete along on our continued walk. I wish I had taken a photo of her. Encounters with deer are pretty common in our neighborhood, but I’ve never seen one relaxing on the front lawn of a neighbor’s house. The deer in our neighborhood are definitely accustomed to people. They’re part of our place.

I’ve written about place numerous times. I had this short essay published in Orion Magazine’s “Place Where You Live” feature almost ten years ago. More recently, I posted a piece about contrasts and coexistence in the context of place on my blog and on Instagram.

Place is an interesting concept. It can be a physical place - home, neighborhood, workplace, community, city, country, etc. There are also mental, social, and emotional places. People say they’re in a “good place” or a “bad place” depending on mood and circumstances. Sometimes we can makes changes in our “place,” and other times we cannot. Our place in the world shapes us, and we shape it too.

Space

Space can be a synonym for “place.” People visit someone’s home or a new restaurant and comment on the “nice space.” A space can be an event venue or a wide open prairie.

Space can also refer to distance. Maybe we need space from an experience or an activity or a person. And space is time. I especially love the term “spaciousness” as relates to time. It means more time in-between. “Spaciousness” has a feeling of intentionality about it.

It’s the opposite of the kind of busyness that our larger culture (specifically North American) has often celebrated. Like many, I used to think being busy was a badge of honor. I’ve learned otherwise. As is often said (and attributed to at least six different people according to a quick Google search): we are human beings not human doings. In addition, the need to keep constantly busy is typically a coping mechanism or an avoidance technique.

Pace

Lastly, intimately related to place and space is pace. Just like “busy,” our culture often celebrates “fast.” We have fast food and fast fashion. We have reckless drivers who speed and swerve only to get to the same red traffic light a couple minutes before we do. We’ve been told, in many contexts, that “faster is better.” In reality, “fast” is often just like “busy” - a way to avoid being in the present moment. And fast is usually emblematic of environments that nurture competition over collaboration and community.

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I’m looking to be more mindful of place, space, and pace. I’m looking to notice their interconnectedness. I’m looking to learn from the deer reposing on the front lawn of my neighbor’s house. I’m looking to learn from the flowers, the garden, the forest, the river.

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Writing a newsletter every Sunday is my goal. It takes time. It takes a fair amount of openness and vulnerability. In fact, in some ways, it takes a combination of place, space, and pace.

Sometimes the idea for the newsletter springs up in my thoughts or writing during the week. Sometimes, like today, it’s a collection of current musings. Which is to say, thanks for reading whatever ends up on the page here.

With gratitude,

Mary